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by ecomexi



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Pirate, First Kiss, M/M, mika is a pirate. Useless gay pirate, yuzuru is the captain of the royal guard and a prisoner of valkyrie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecomexi/pseuds/ecomexi
Summary: Mika unbinds his prisoner's hands far more often than he should.
Relationships: Fushimi Yuzuru/Kagehira Mika
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





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**Author's Note:**

> ※ this is a birthday gift for my bsf casey who i made this au with... like... two years ago... and now i bring it to life (because this has always been my favorite scene that we talked about all the way back then hehe)  
> ※ i've never written mika before pls no steppy

"It sounds lonely, doesn't it?"

Outside, Mika could hear the sway of the ocean, as steady and enigmatic as the red-violet in Yuzuru's eyes. The hold in the interior of the ship was dusty and still, but more than that, it was quiet. The only things Mika could hear were the brusque, concise words of the prisoner before him, and himself uncomfortably scraping his shoes against the stone floor.

He bit his lip, trying to hold back all the things he wanted to say. He looked over to Yuzuru, who seemed content for his hands to be tied and to be sat on the dirt-covered floor behind iron bars. "Yukkun..." he started, guilt laced in his words. "Ya know I can't keep lettin' ya outta yer cell. Oshi-san's gonna catch ya one a' these days."

"Fufu." Yuzuru only smiled. "I did not say a thing. But, it is a beautiful night, Kagehira-sama." His gaze passed through Mika, through the trapdoor he had climbed down, and to the sky. Mika grumbled, feeling as if Yuzuru had somehow tricked him. And his face felt warm. He quickly glanced around, and afterwards his hands trembled a bit as he reached for the key around his waist. There was a click, and the door opened with a squeak. Yuzuru looked quizzically up at Mika, who took a step back. It was all routine by now, nothing but a formality. And Mika's throat tightened by habit, too, imagining the scene that would unfold if Shu would suddenly appear and spot them.

Mika's mismatched eyes narrowed anxiously and his nose crinkled in distaste. He took a cautious step back. "Nngh... C'mon. Ya can follow behind me."

Yuzuru obeyed, not making the slightest movement that might suggest a dissonance. When they made it to the deck, Mika peeked toward the captain quarters—but as always, the ornate curtains were drawn, and there was no light behind them. Mika exhaled in relief, and he allowed himself to tread a bit more quickly. "Yer right, Yukkun." Finally, a smile. "The sky's real pretty tonight."

"Do you know what tonight is?" Yuzuru spoke without a care, primly setting his hands on the railing of the ship. He had been Mika's prisoner for long enough for Mika to know that this meant he was about to tell a story. And how he adored Yuzuru's stories—even if they were perhaps mundane, those tales of ballrooms and gardens and marketplaces were enticing as long as they came out of Yuzuru's mouth. "Today... is the Young Master's birthday.... The prince. He is turning seventeen."

Mika froze at the declaration. It was heart-wrenching, of course, but there was also a certain sorrow in Yuzuru's eyes he'd never seen before that made Mika immobile. Not when he had been captured, and not any of the other times they had spoken of the prince before. "Um, ah... Sorry. That must be real hard on ya, huh..."

As if he had forgotten he was there, the moment Mika spoke Yuzuru's beautifully lonely eyes became clear again. "Of course. More than I am sad to be apart from him, it is agonizing to know I cannot be there for him during such important moments."

Mika looked out at the same swaying sea. "Mm, I know whatcha mean. Course, I don't even know when Oshi-san's birthday is, but..."

"Fufu. Well, in the kingdom, birthdays are much more of a spectacle... Much more so for the prince, I'm sure."

"Hn? How's that?"

"Well, for the Young Master, each year a ball is held." Yuzuru's face softened, as though he was vividly recalling some quiet memory. "The Young Master has always adored dressing up, though he's not so fond of dancing."

"I can definitely imagine ya offerin' dances to all the patrons, Yukkun," Mika hummed. "I dunno if I could say I'm all familiar with how to dance, though."

"Itsuki-sama has not taught you? That's rather surprising, considering his former place of occupation."

"Oshi-san used to work in the kingdom?" Mika leaned forward, once more enamored. "I don't really know much about 'im, he's kinda touchy 'bout that stuff, yanno?"

"Well, I'm only informed because he was quite well known. I'm sure you know far more about him personally than I." For a moment, Yuzuru looked pensive. "Still, you should ask him. He raised many brilliant performers."

Mika's gaze was pulled toward the captain's quarters again. Would he even want to listen? Though Shu certainly didn't hate him—he would hope as much, remembering how he'd grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him out of the alleyway he was being chased down so authoritatively—he wasn't exactly the warmest, either. There were times he was kind; he bandaged Mika when he first waltzed onto the boat with his many scrapes, he always forced him to eat his own share when rations were scarce. But even so, so often, he felt so far away. And that was fine. Mika was fine with that, or he thought so.

Another pause. "You're quite strange, Kagehira-sama." Yuzuru's hair shifted a little in the wind. "You carry yourself with such a refined grace, but you..." —Mika noticed he glanced at the binding around his wrists—"You display many moments of weakness. It's a shame you've never danced before."

"I-I wanna," Mika blurted, and was all too aware of how his face flushed. "Um. You could teach me, right, Yukkun? Yer... really graceful too. An' pretty, yer probably suited for dancin'..."

Like he was hoping for the invitation, Yuzuru cracked a soft smile. "I would be humbled."

Right? It was fine for everyone Mika's ever cared about to be so unreachable, so perfect. Even if there was another boy so close to him, telling him to put his hand on his shoulder—and his eyebrows furrowed a little unsurely because his hands were still bound, and the moon was reflecting such a stark yellow-white onto the water. Somehow, Mika's hand found its way to the dagger fastened around his waist. The sheath glinted as he drew it, almost as bright as the sea's surface.

In an instant Yuzuru's eyes widened, and he seized Mika's wrist—tight. The dagger clattered to the ground. Just as quickly, Mika's throat tightened with fear. Right. This was the boy that was close enough to touch, to sink a silver blade into the stomach of, their worlds still weaving such distrust between them. Helplessly, he muttered over the suffocating feeling. "Yer hands..." Yuzuru's wild eyes followed Mika's to the rope around Yuzuru's wrists. "I'll free ya."

So beautiful and calm, and yet so animal. Mika struggled to find his breath watching Yuzuru blink and unpin Mika from the railing of the ship. He carefully bent over and picked up his dagger, and tentatively cut the rope. Yuzuru's wrists were red. They were also thin, delicate-looking—he never could have guessed they would so easily immobilize him. It was a terrifying reminder, but here he was, sawing away at the only thing keeping Yuzuru from stabbing him. Except when he was freed, Yuzuru only rubbed his arm a little and reached for Mika's hand once more, restoring it to its place on his shoulder. "Yer a little scary sometimes, Yukkun," he commented gingerly as the sensation of Yuzuru's hand on his waist overwhelmed him.

"It is simply the way I am. Do you dislike it, Kagehira-sama?"

With Yuzuru guiding, the two of them stepped in tune to some dance. "N-No! Well, y'know, it's just a lil' bit embarrassing... Cuz we aren't exactly friendly."

"I disagree." The sea's steady sway was a comforting lull, almost a song of its own, and even though Mika knew it was wrong, he just felt so peaceful to be next to him, waltzing a dance he hadn't even heard of. "I'd wager that if you truly disliked me, you would not have let me out in the first place."

Mika couldn't say anything. In fact, he was a little bit ashamed—he wished he could resist, to gloat and tell him that he'd been responsible about it, but it wasn't true. The severed rope on the deck was proof of that. For a moment, realizing this, Mika's grip on Yuzuru's shoulder faltered. He started to draw away, but Yuzuru quickly remedied his hesitation; his hand rested atop Mika's to keep it in place, assured and inviting. This was exactly why Mika's willpower was so weak recently. Yuzuru's words were captivating, but more, he never seemed to hesitate at all.

Suddenly, Yuzuru felt a thousand times closer. "You're a natural, Kagehira-sama," he spoke after a second, and it seemed like a whisper in Mika's ear with the way he painstakingly pronounced each syllable. "Perhaps in another life, we could have danced together in the ballroom."

"Nngh... When ya say it like that, it's kinda sad..."

"Yes... I'm afraid that's how it must be." Yuzuru frowned morosely. "I've never had someone I could speak so freely with, so I am grateful. Deeply. You are a truly kind person."

"Nah... I'm not worthy of bein' called that. Yer jus'... Ya don't seem like a bad person, either, so I feel real bad keepin' ya locked up like an animal...."

"I think you are wonderful, Kagehira-sama." The sea swayed behind Yuzuru, and the sound accompanied his soft voice well. "Though perhaps I am but an animal."

"Of course yer not—" Mika began to chastise him, and then a sharp panic shot through him like he'd just been pushed into the ocean, because out of the corner of his eye, light flickered in the captain's quarters. Quickly, Mika grabbed Yuzuru's arm, hissing "Oshi-san!" and tugging him back down to the prison bunker, where it was black and quiet and unlit by the night sky. For a moment he waited alone, peeking his head over the top of ladder, eyes glued to the doorway. After a few minutes of his heart pounding—Mika could handle getting in trouble with Shu, he did it all the time, but he wouldn't be able to cope with the guilt if something bad happened to Yuzuru because he was too careless—he retreated.

No sooner than his boots touched the wooden floor, there was a grip around his hand, and then he was being pulled; in the next moment, he felt Yuzuru all around him. In the few half-seconds he got to think, he thought that this was how he was going to die. His dagger would be missing from its sheath and he would briefly feel the cold metal against his neck before his sight started to fade, and the vague and yet somehow still beautiful outline of Yuzuru would stand victoriously over him. But instead, Mika felt Yuzuru's breath against his face for a moment. Hesitating, just a little. But it wasn't for very long.

Yuzuru kissed just as he told stories—reserved, even wistful. Brief, leaving Mika wanting more. Mika squeezed his eyes shut, afraid the mismatched things would give away his happiness and surprise even in the dark. When Yuzuru stopped, Mika tried all he could to stop himself from leaning forward again, but could not. Even if the lantern was lit in Shu's room, just for a second, Mika couldn't bear to let Yuzuru slip through his fingers. So he didn't; Mika put his hand on Yuzuru's shoulder like he had when they were dancing and raised his chin to greedily take more. Behind them were a few crates, and when Yuzuru began to reciprocate, Mika's legs trembled. It took but a moment before he stumbled over, his entire body on fire. Yuzuru didn't seem to mind, though, so neither did Mika. He was perfectly fine being so passionately kissed against the same crates he himself once dragged behind this ladder.

Before they could get very far, though, Yuzuru pulled away again. His face was a little flushed, but Mika knew it was nothing compared to himself. He didn't need a mirror to know he looked more than a little indecent—his face was burning hot compared to Yuzuru's cool, slender fingers, after all, and he couldn't help but savor the taste of saliva on his face before wiping it away, feeling pathetic and awful and dirty. "Kagehira-sama. Forgive me," Yuzuru said, but his voice was uncharacteristically flustered, not composed at all. "It was not my intention for matters to progress like this."

"Yukkun..." Mika suddenly felt emptiness form in his stomach, a mixture of embarrassment and doubt eating away at him. "M'... sorry, too... Ya probably got someone waitin' for ya in the kingdom, huh."

"Not exactly..." Yuzuru frowned. He still hovered over Mika—in this position, it would be so easy to start it all up again, but of course Mika did not deserve as much, and what he wanted wasn't all that important anyway. Still, it was agonizing. "Well, if you would prefer to pretend it did not happen, I'd be willing to comply."

It was difficult to agree with that when Yuzuru was over him speaking in such a low, still-breathless tone. So Mika didn't speak until he then noticed Yuzuru's eyes, glowing with vulnerability, waiting for him. He faltered a little bit, shifting in his spot beneath Yuzuru. "Yukkun... I care about ya. I don't want anythin' to happen to ya. An'... Er, I really like ya, too, but that's probably real obvious, huh..."

Finally, Yuzuru sat up. Mika couldn't tell at first, but he was smiling. "That's relieving to hear. I will be very sad when our worlds must part, but for now..." Yuzuru looked down at Mika fondly, making the boy feel small, and almost like he was prey being toyed with. "I'm looking forward to being with you."

"Now..." he continued. "Let us retire for the night."

His hands were held out complacently, and it took Mika a second to realize he was waiting for his hands to be tied again. As he wrapped the rope and knotted it, he wondered how much this restriction really mattered anymore. Certainly, something huge changed between the two of them that night. Mika didn't know if it was because he finally knew what it was like to taste Yuzuru's lips, or if it was because Yuzuru suddenly looked delighted to let Mika tie his wrists together—or perhaps it was something else entirely. Maybe it was how his heart beat a little faster hearing Shu's footsteps outside his room to shout him awake, even though nothing had changed.

Somehow, Mika felt like he had made a wordless promise. One he knew he wouldn't be able to live up to.

**Author's Note:**

> ※ unincluded tidbits from this AU i adore and wish i could fit into a single fic: nazuna (former valkyrie pirate&most popular performer under shu) helps mika and shu when they need to sneak into the castle/kingdom but now he sells bread and hands it out to the three cute orphan kids that hang around his shop; yuzuru and mika's dramatic i-must-kill-you confrontation (with swords) (on the castle rooftop) (it's raining); shu actually knew all along that mika sneaks yuzuru onto the deck after he goes to bed; tori B-side (in which he's unrequitedly pining after his lifelong servant who then gets captured and he is consumed with guilt and loneliness for months ahaha); ibara was brought up as second in command in the royal guard but defected and joined a rival kindgom (eden it's eden kingdom)  
> ※ twt @selfguise


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